Midnight Clashes
by DarthAnimus
Summary: Crossover with Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne - When Aoko drags Kaito to a rhythmic gymnastics competition, she never realized just what she got her friend into. -future HakuKuro pairing-
1. Entering The Kaitou

Author's Notes: The timeline from Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne is in manga volume 5, chapter 1, or chapter 19 in total. Since the anime and manga are so different this might not make complete sense to those who have only seen the anime. But I guess this might be around season 2, after Noin shows up but before Fin's betrayal. In general, knowing the general idea of the series will help understand the story, because I'm too lazy to explain everything. There's probably a lot of pages on the net with information about the series and character bios.

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 1**

**Entering The Kaitou**

"Come on, Kaito!" Aoko whined to her childhood friend. "You have to come watch the competition that's held this weekend with me!"

"Sorry Aoko, but I'm really not interested", Kaito said with a snort. "Why not take Keiko? Or is she too embarrassed as well?"

"You have to go with me!" Aoko yelled in a commanding voice. She was loud enough for the whole class to hear.

'Thanks a lot, Aoko...' Kaito thought bitterly. 'Now I have even more reason not to bend and go with whatever you've got planned."

"Is something wrong, Aoko-kun?"

Kaito flinched at the falsely sweet voice. He did not need Hakuba butting into this as well. Why did the detective have to be so nosy?

"I was trying to get Kaito to come to go watch a competition with me", Aoko explained to the blond. "It's the eastern high school championship tournament."

Suddenly a grin appeared on Kaito's face. Hakuba was always running after Aoko like some lost puppy, a confident lost puppy but a puppy none the less. It would be just like the detective to offer to go to the tournament with Aoko and then Kaito would be safe.

"That is very unfortunate", was Hakuba's reply to Aoko. "Normally I would offer to accompany you myself but I am very busy this weekend. But maybe we could go somewhere together the following weekend?"

Kaito felt his left eye twitch when Hakuba performed the usual 'a peck on the hand' manoeuvre on Aoko, causing the girl to blush.

"I guess that would be fine", Aoko said while shooting Kaito a glance. Kaito pointedly looked away. He could hear the girl huff before she said loudly: "I would love to go out with you, Hakuba-kun!"

Kaito froze and blinked. He blinked a few times more. Then he snapped.

"WHAT?"

"Don't shout Kaito", Aoko scolded the brunet. "It's perfectly understandable that you're jealous but it's your own fault for not going anywhere with me. It's only expected of me to get myself some more willing company."

"Fine!" Kaito shouted out, standing up. "I'll go to that stupid tournament with you!"

Aoko started instantly beaming at him.

"Really?" she cheered. "Oh, I'm so happy Kaito!"

Kaito turned to grin smugly at Hakuba, only to see that the blond had beaten him to it.

"What?" Kaito questioned angrily. Hakuba actually had the nerve to snicker before he replied: "Do you know what kind of a tournament it is, Kuroba-kun?"

To be completely honest, Kaito did not know. He had blocked Aoko out immediately after he had seen two tickets in the girl's hand. He turned a questioning look at Aoko.

"I already told you!" Aoko growled. "We're going to go watch rhythmic gymnastics."

Kaito froze for the second time within a small amount of time. This time it took Kaito only three blinks before he reacted.

"WHAT?"

"Shut up already Kaito!"

&&&&&&&

Kaito was muttering dark things under his breath when he and Aoko waited in line to get inside the sports dome. Kaito knew that Hakuba had been well aware of the contents of the tournament and that the detective did not have anything to do that weekend. He had set Kaito up and Kaito had not even noticed him do it.

'He's getting too good at setting traps...' Kaito decided in his mind when he and Aoko finally walked inside. The rhythmic gymnastics tournament was going to be kept between eight high schools and the three best performances would be qualified for the Japan high school championships.

Kaito shot a quick glance at Aoko, who was all psyched up about the tournament. Kaito had had no idea that Aoko was so into gymnastics. If he had known he would have been more on the look out and definitely more careful with his promises.

A group of girls walking past him caught his attention. The gymnastics outfits were really something to admire, Kaito noticed right before his ear was grabbed roughly.

"You're such a pervert, Kaito!" Aoko scowled at the boy. Kaito only shrugged a shoulder, saying: "I'm a hormonal teenager. What did you expect?"

"Gah!"

Kaito barely had time to dodge the ball thrown at him.

"Y-you...ECCHI!"

Kaito hopped happily down the hall, Aoko hot on his heels.

"Can't catch me! Can't catch me!" he chanted while Aoko screamed in rage and threw whatever she could get her hands on at him. She was not doing a very good job at actually hitting him, though.

&&&&&&&

Maron took a deep breath while she checked her equipment once more. This was going to be a really big contest and she did not have any room to be sloppy.

It was encouraging to know that Chiaki would be cheering for her in the audience. She had really been feeling a lit better ever since they had made up after what happened with Takazuchiya Zen. Not to mention Hijiri-sensei's real identity as Noin had been revealed. Maron still did not know how to feel about the revelation that she had been the man's lover in a previous lifetime but she did know that she loved Chiaki and no one else.

A giggle escaped Maron's mouth when she thought about Chiaki. Their date was due tomorrow, and she might finally be able to find out why the other insisted on being Sinbad.

Feeling unbelievably good Maron walked out of the dressing room to get in position to wait for her turn to perform. She still had a mission that night so this could do well for training for that.

&&&&&&&

Kaito watched with fascination how the girls moved on the beams or with various other gymnastics equipment. He wondered how well he could perform those moves. He **was**, after all, very flexible.

"I hope you're not thinking about anything perverted right now, Kaito", came Aoko's warning tone from his left side. Kaito turned to the girl to give her a sly grin.

"Depends on how you look at it", he said smartly. The glare he got from Aoko at that got a nervous laugh out of him.

"You know I'm just messing with you!" he hurried to assure his childhood friend. "Right, Aoko?"

"You'd better be", Aoko huffed before turning her attention back to the performance. Kaito also turned to see a brown-haired girl walk on the center of the stage. The announcer said she was Momokuri Academy's contestant Kusakabe Maron.

The girl was good. That was the first thing that captured Kaito's attention when the classic music started playing. Kusakabe moved like water, she seemed to know exactly what she was doing and she was doing it well. Kaito was especially interested in the way the girl used the ribbon, almost like it was partly a weapon. Kaito almost laughed at his own mental image. Like anyone would use such a thing as a weapon.

&&&&&&&

"So, how did you like the show?" Aoko asked when the two of them were headed out of the building. "I think it was awesome."

"I guess those girls were pretty good", Kaito said off-handedly. "But I bet Kid could have moved better." Kaito dodged a well-aimed punch before continuing: "The thing those girls win Kid at is looks."

Kaito let out a series of bright chuckles as he continued dodging Aoko's attacks. The girl really was not much of a challenge without something longer in her hands. Then she was actually dangerous.

"How did you like me, Miyako?" Kaito glanced to the side to see the Momokuri contestant, Kusakabe Maron, talking with a girl with dark purple hair.

"I think you were slightly sloppy", Miyako commented coldly. "You could have done better with that ball number."

"Oh, is that so?" Kusakabe said with a glare. "Are you sure you just aren't in a foul mood because of the heist tonight?"

The word heist caught Kaito's attention immediately. As far as he knew, there had been no notices sent under Kid's name, nor had he or Jii sent any out.

"You just watch!" Miyako said forcefully. "This time I will catch that Jeanne! She'll get the 'Blue Sunset' only over my dead body!"

Intrigued by this conversation Kaito turned to Aoko, asking: "Who's Jeanne?"

Aoko first blinked at him in confusion but then she seemed to realize what he was talking about.

"You must be talking about Kaitou Jeanne, right?" she asked. At Kaito's nod she continued: "Jeanne is a mysterious art thief that first appeared a few months ago. She's been stealing paintings and drawings, leaving an image of an angel behind her. No one has posted any charges, saying that the new pictures are far more beautiful than the previous ones."

Kaito nodded his head, immediately making speculations. This Jeanne sounded like someone who was searching for something. But why leave new pictures to the scenes? Maybe, if he worked quickly, he could have a heist note posted in time to hold a heist that night. He wanted to check this Jeanne out himself.

&&&&&&&

"Reincarnated to seal evil born from darkness..." Maron whispered to the night. "Kaitou Jeanne! Sent by Kami-sama, I have appeared!"

"That's quite the flamboyant entrance, if you allow me to say so."

Maron quickly whirled around to see a young man dressed in a white suite and a white top hat on his head. He also had a monocle and a cape.

"Who are you?" she asked, worried that she was going to be forced to face another so-called 'devil's advocate'.

"I am Kaitou Kid!" the white-clad man proclaimed. "And if you allow me to be blunt, that phrase of yours would be more effective if you used it after you went inside."

Maron huffed, turning her head away from the new thief.

"No, I don't allow you to be blunt", she said. "And it's my own business how I do things." With that she leaped in through the window. She heard Kid shout something after her but ignored it.

As soon as her feet hit the floor Maron found herself trapped under a net that fell from the ceiling. There were metallic clips on the floor that closed the net in place over her. Maron tried to struggle against the strings bu realized that they were extremely strong.

"Well, well, well", a sugary voice drawled, bringing Maron's attention away from the trap she was in. She was facing a boy around her age, wearing clothes that those that matched those of all the designs of Sherlock Holmes she had seen. The boy had blond hair and blue eyes and was currently smirking very smugly at her.

"This trap was originally planned for Kaitou Kid, even though I suspect it would have had little effect", the boy, Maron suspected him to be a detective of sorts, spoke. "But I guess you'll do as well." The boy gave Maron a bow, tilting his body forward from waist up. The gesture reminded Maron of a medieval prince.

The piercing blue eyes locked with Maron's once more as the detective spoke again.

"It is a pleasure to meet a beautiful lady such as yourself, Kaitou Jeanne-san", the blond said pleasantly. "I am Hakuba Saguru, high school detective and the world's lead expert on phantom thieves. This truly is a meeting to remember, don't you think?"

"Indeed", was all Maron could say to the impressive teen in front of her. This new opponent was calculative and confident, though not as blinded by it as Miyako. She was not sure how she could get out of this or if she could at all.

'This would be a great time for Sinbad to show up...' Maron found herself thinking, even though she immediately mentally scolded herself for trusting a rival for support. She was supposed to be the reincarnation of Jeanne D'Arc, a demon hunter extraordinaire.

And at the moment, she was a very captured demon huntress.

_**To be continued...**_

Ending Notes: For review, Takazuchiya Zen is the hospitalised boy who was alive only because of the demon possessing him. Because of that Maron did not want to seal the demon. He had become so inhumane that he could see angels, so Chiaki sealed the demon.


	2. Entering The Motives

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 2**

**Entering The Motives**

Just when Maron was ready to yell for Fin to help her, someone whacked Hakuba upside the head from behind.

"What the-?" Hakuba blurted, whirling around to meet the very furious face of Miyako.

"You jerk!" Miyako screamed at the male detective. "Jeanne is my catch. **Mine** you hear? Unhand her this instant!"

Maron saw a strange look pass over Hakuba's face as the boy pulled out a remote. He pressed one of the buttons on it and Jeanne saw the metal clasps holding the net that held her open. She threw the net over her and turned to give Hakuba a questioning look.

"Why?" she asked. Miyako looked surprised by Hakuba's actions as well.

"Because I recognize a personal matter when I see one", Hakuba said, stepping to the side. He gave Miyako a polite bow.

"All yours, Toudaiji-kun." Hakuba straightened himself and brought his fingers to the front of his hat. He then whirled around, saying: "Now, I have my own personal matters to attend to", before rushing to the direction of the stairs confidently.

When Maron noticed that Miyako was staring after Hakuba with a strange expression on her face, she used it to her advantage and took off past her and down the corridor, towards the object of today's mission.

&&&&&&&

When Jeanne jumped inside through to window Kaito lifted his hand in a warning gesture.

"Don't go in that way!" he called after the girl. "Hakuba's probably booby-trapped every window in this house!" Jeanne did not seem to hear his warnings, however, since she went in regardless.

With a shrug Kaito leaped off the tree branch he was crouching on and made his way to the roof. Hakuba had probably left that one entrance un-trapped for the sole reason of getting him inside that way. Not that Kaito minded, though. He always enjoyed a direct combat with Hakuba. And not only because the detective smelled good, either.

Kaito opened the door and stepped into a grey staircase. This was almost too easy.

"Welcome, Kaitou Kid-san", a familiar voice drawled. Kaito locked gazes with his greatest rival, each of them wearing a smirk that mirrored the other's. It was strange, Kaito thought, how he could get the most attention from Hakuba only when he was stealing something. In school the detective simply ignored him when he was not throwing accusations at him.

"A lovely evening, isn't it tantei-san?" Kid replied. He actually got a somewhat more sincere smile at that.

"I'm also feeling very confident this time", the detective said. "I have already caught one phantom thief tonight. Quite the beauty, that Jeanne."

Kid felt like growling. It was not good manners to discuss another thief's good points with your regular opponent, the same way you did not discuss your former lovers with your current one. It only created unnecessary jealousy and distrust.

"But I must say..." Hakuba continued off-handedly. "She isn't nearly as big of a challenge as you are."

"Aww!" Kaito cooed at the blond. "I feel so special and loved! Do I also get a promise of being the only one for you?"

Hakuba smirked again, setting his feet apart slightly as he fixed his position. Something was going to happen.

"Time for minor chit-chat is over", the detective said firmly. "Witness a little something I have prepared only for you."

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" Kaito said with a bright smile. "And here I thought you didn't love me!"

Hakuba pulled out a remote, whirled it in his hand and pressed a button. There was a quiet whirring sound before Kaito found himself in the center of an attack of a volley of hits.

Kaito backed away to the wall behind him and heard a metallic clank. The hits upon his body had ceased and Kaito dared to open his eyes. What he saw surprised him.

A cage had come out of the wall, firmly trapping him between the wall and the bars. There was also a metal belt around his waist, keeping in place and trapped into the wall. The floor, on the other had, was overrun by tennis balls.

"Very original", was all Kaito could say about the trap.

"Thank you", Hakuba said, tugging the controller away. "I did not exactly have much time to check all the exits so I had to improvise. You did not leave me much time for my preparations so I ended up with some very...Toudaiji-like solutions."

Hakuba kicked a tennis ball with thoughtful air, saying: "I decided on tennis balls since you aim to not hurt anyone. I thought it only fair to do the same."

Kaito looked at Hakuba with new respect. The detective was not kidding when he said he was an expert on him. He knew exactly how to impress him.

Just for that Kaito felt bad about having to escape the well, if not long, thought trap. He was aching to test the new metal cutter Jii had prepared for him. It was hidden in his right sleeve and easy to get out.

Carefully Kaito eyed Hakuba's actions as he activated the cutter. The blond was fiddling with a radio thoughtfully. Kaito almost blurted out: 'Having second thoughts?' but managed to contain himself.

Hakuba's head instantly snapped up when Kaito started to melt the metal around his waist. The blond was halfway across the hall when Kaito was done. He dropped down a smoke bomb and got out of the cage in swift movements that would have had the rhythmic gymnastics contestants green from envy.

As Kaito brushed past Hakuba in the smoke cloud, he had to really resist the urge to play a prank on the detective. But he just did not have time. He needed to catch up with Jeanne before the heist was over. He wanted some answers.

Kaito soon made his way to the main room. He was just in time to see something dark come out from the painting Jeanne was after. He saw Jeanne throw a pin at it and soon the dark thing was gone as was the painting. A chess piece fell to the floor, only to be caught in mid-air and float to Jeanne. Jeanne clasped the chess piece inside her hand.

"Tonight I have stolen this deceptive beauty." With that Jeanne escaped through a window. Kaito quickly made his way outside as well, deciding to round up on Jeanne.

&&&&&&&

Feeling extremely tired Maron gave the chess piece back to Fin, saying: "No more jobs in a few weeks, ok?"

"You know I can't promise that", Fin said apologetically.

"Good evening, Jeanne-san", Maron turned around to see no other than Kaitou Kid standing behind her.

"You never showed up in the room the painting was kept in", Maron pointed out. "What's up with that?"

"I had a date with **my** detective." The way Kid pressed the 'my' word was more than slightly strange to Maron.

"You mean Hakuba-san?" she questioned. "Go ahead and keep him. He's way too good for my tastes."

"You'd better remember that."

"What do you want?" Maron demanded. This thief was strange to him but Fin had said that there was no dark power in him.

"What was that dark thing in that room?" Kid asked. "What is your goal as a thief?"

Maron did not think there was any harm in telling Kid the truth, so she told him all about protecting the world from demons.

"I see", Kid said finally. "So you're some reincarnation of a warrior against darkness and you need to seal demons to secure Kami-sama's power. Got it."

"You're going to believe me just like that?" Maron questioned. Kid simply shrugged.

"Why not?" the other thief said. "I know a witch who once used the devil's powers to predict my death."

"Maou doesn't answer to calls like that", Maron pointed out. Kid shrugged again, saying: "Maybe it was just a demon, then. So I take it you don't know anything about a so-called 'Holy Gem Pandora'?"

Maron shook her head apologetically.

"No, sorry", she said. "Is that what you're seeking?"

"Yes." With that Kid was gone.

&&&&&&&

"Darn that Jeanne!" Miyako screeched. "She got away again!"

"That's what they tend to do", a gentle voice said from behind her. Miyako quickly whirled around to meet Hakuba's apologetic smile.

"I didn't mean to startle you", the male detective said pleasantly. Miyako waved her hand dismissively.

"It's ok", she said. "So I guess you didn't get Kid either?"

"Oh, I had him for a moment." 'But only for a moment', the blond's tone seemed to add quietly.

"You know who she is."

Miyako gave Hakuba a truly horrified look. Had he figured out her secret?

"That or you have at least a hunch."

"Why do you think that?" Miyako snapped. Just who did this guy think he was, scaring people by attempting to analyse them?

"I am in the same boat." With that Hakuba turned around to leave. Miyako was not going to let him leave after saying something like that, though.

"Wait!" Miyako called out, reaching out and grabbing the sleeve of the blond's coat. She needed to know more. How much did Hakuba Saguru know exactly?

"You know this Kid's identity, right?" she asked. Hakuba simply nodded, not looking at her.

"He doesn't think I know anything, even though I've pretty much thrown the thing in his face."

"What should I do?" Miyako asked. "What are you planning to do?"

"I'm going with the flow", Hakuba replied. "I'll do what I'm expected to do as long as I don't have to question myself too much as I'm doing it."

"What happens when you start to question yourself?"

"I back down to think things through."

"Then the thief gets away."

"There's always next time."

Unable to keep the conversation going Miyako finally let go of Hakuba. The blond detective started to walk away but paused after a moment.

"The one piece of advice you need..." he started. Miyako was all ears, waiting impatiently. Nothing the boy had said so far had made much sense. She hoped that this advise yet to come had a real point to it.

"You should always do what feels right to you, no matter what." Then Hakuba really walked away. He did not stop anymore, nor did he turn around to give one last mysterious smile. That was the thing that made the boy even more mysterious to Miyako. It was almost like Hakuba was completely disconnected from the world around him and the people in that world.

Hakuba was an observer, Miyako realized after a moment of contemplation. The blond detective did not **want** to get too involved. Perhaps he was afraid of contact. Somehow, that thought made Miyako sad. Hakuba may have been able to hold his act together better, but he was still so much like Maron. So much like the small, vulnerable Maron. So much like her Maron.

_**To be continued...**_

Ending Notes: My favorite scenes in this chapter were the ones with Hakuba and Miyako interacting. They're fun to write, especially while interacting with each other.


	3. Entering The Betrayal

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 3**

**Entering The Betrayal**

Maron could not help but laugh all the time she and Chiaki spent in the amusement park. Even though Chiaki was avoiding topics around work as much as he could Maron was not nearly as disappointed as she thought she would have been.

To be completely honest, Maron was having a lot of fun. The rides were great and Chiaki was wonderful to her. It made Maron feel special and cared for.

The two of them were sitting in the ferris wheel when Maron noticed that Chiaki's attention was on something on her neck.

"Chiaki?" Maron questioned carefully. "Is something wrong?"

"These marks..." Chiaki started, leaning closer. That was when Maron remembered what had happened with Noin before Chiaki had rushed to the scene. The demon knight had almost stolen Maron innocence.

"Did he make these?" Chiaki asked ever so quietly. Maron knew that they were bite marks now. What surprised her, though, was when Chiaki leaned in to capture that skin in his mouth.

Heavy breathing escaped from Maron's mouth in gasps as she pushed the boy away.

"Don't!" she screamed. Chiaki backed away, looking hurt. Then the boy stood up and walked out of the van. Maron rushed after him, calling: "Stop! Chiaki, wait!"

As Maron had caught up with Chiaki and was walking around with the boy, who had decided to give her the silent treatment, she noticed something in one of the small shops. It was a golden key chain of an egg with wings.

"Oh!" Maron marvelled at the key chain. "This would be perfect for Fin! Chiaki, you should buy one for Access as well!" Chiaki did not answer so Maron bought only one key chain.

Soon the two of them were walking side by side. Maron figured that she was perhaps being a bit too hard on the boy. With a sigh she spoke: "Chiaki." The boy stopped walking but did not look at her yet.

"You can kiss me."

Chiaki whirled around, surprised by the declaration. As he stepped closer Maron closed her eyes and tilted her head upward. She felt Chiaki grab her waist and suddenly she was lifted up. Her eyes opened in surprise to see Chiaki smiling at her.

"You're so light, Maron!" Chiaki said with a wide grin. "It's almost as if you have wings!"

At that all Maron could think about was how much she wanted to tell Chiaki she loved him. But she could not. They were still enemies and them going out would really complicate things. She could not answer to Chiaki's feelings, not just yet.

When Chiaki put Maron back down he started to dig through his jacket, bringing something out of his pocket. He showed it to Maron, making the girl gasp.

It was a beautiful golden cross-shaped pendant. It had two small red gems on it, one on the top of it and one in the centre.

"Happy seventeenth birthday Maron!" Chiaki said as he placed the necklace around Maron's neck.

"Can't I be your rosary?" he then asked as he wrapped his arms around Maron's smaller form. Maron could not help but hug him back. She was so happy she could cry.

&&&&&&&

Miyako huffed before whirling around and starting to stomp off.

"Toudaiji-san!" Minazuki called after her. "Where are you going?"

"Away", was all the answer Miyako gave him. She had seen enough. Maron and Chiaki were in love with each other and it seemed that they were going out as well.

"Toudaiji-san!"

Miyako did not listen to Minazuki's calls as she quickly rushed away. There was no need for the boy to see her tears, even though they were only brimming in her eyes at the moment. It would only be a matter of time until they fell.

'It's funny...' Miyako thought to herself as she stopped underneath a tree in a resting spot in the park. 'More than a broken heart it hurts to know that I won't be the one by her side always...'

"Toudaiji-kun?" Miyako froze in place, not expecting anyone to recognize her. She turned around to find herself face to face with not-quite-familiar blue eyes. She did recognize the boy as soon as her eyes trailed over the rest of the face.

"Hakuba-san?" she questioned. "What are you doing here?" A glance at the bag the blond was carrying answered that question. Some weekend shopping, then.

Hakuba turned the bag he was carrying slightly.

"Shopping", the boy said off-handedly. "Dad's way too busy with his job to do any chores." He gave Miyako a curious look and asked: "Are you doing anything now?"

Miyako blinked once, then she shook her head and replied: "Not really."

"I was going to visit the shrine. Do you want to accompany me?"

"Oh, sure." Miyako was confused by Hakuba's actions. The blond detective had not reacted to her tears in any way and was acting like he had not seen them at all. But Miyako knew the boy had noticed. Hakuba did not come across as a person who did not notice such things as wet eyes and tear streaks.

The two started walking side-by-side, Miyako more than slightly wondering how Hakuba had managed to come across her. Of course the park was a good short cut to the shrine but it was still a big coincidence.

"Any progress in your Jeanne-dilemma?" Hakuba asked after a while. Miyako shot her a suspicious look but the detective seemed sincere enough.

"Not really", Miyako said with a sigh. "It seems that the more I think about it, the more confused I become."

"That tends to happen when we don't know what we want", Hakuba said as they started climbing the stairs that lead to the shrine.

"Why are you coming here?" Miyako asked. "You don't come across as very religious to me." Hakuba looked like he wanted to laugh at her words but, for some reason, kept quiet. It was disturbing. Hakuba was disturbing.

"Hakuba-san?" Miyako asked as they stopped in front of the shrine for their prayers. Hakuba simply hummed to show he was listening.

"Do you have a solution to your problem yet?" Miyako asked carefully. As Hakuba straightened himself Miyako could see a flicker of emotion in the fiery blue eyes. It was all the answer she needed.

"Conflicting emotions are such a troublesome thing", Hakuba said as if trying to sound cryptic. But Miyako knew that what the boy really wanted to do was to scream and curse his own heart.

"Between duty and the heart?" Miyako questioned. Hakuba smiled sadly and whispered softly: "Not quite."

There was a moment of silence before the detective continued: "More like my very being and my heart."

"You don't let people inside", Miyako stated. Hakuba did not deny the words and the two of them started walking away from the temple.

"You remind me of Maron", Miyako continued softly. "She's afraid of getting close. I think she doesn't want to be rejected." Hakuba was still silent so Miyako went on.

"We've been best friends since forever but she has a boyfriend now, the same guy I used to like...and I still do." Tears began streaming down her cheeks as she spoke. A sob that escaped her throat caused Hakuba to finally turn to look at her. The detective let out a startled gasp when Miyako threw herself against him, grabbing the fabric of his jacket firmly.

"Why do I have to love them both?" she cried against the almost-stranger. "I don't want to love! I don't want to hurt!"

Ever so slowly Hakuba's arms came up to wrap around Miyako's shivering frame as she cried, finally letting her true feelings out.

&&&&&&&

"I don't suppose I can get you to stop being Jeanne?" Chiaki tried. Maron gave the boy an apologetic smile as she replied: "I'm sorry, Chiaki, but as long as I'm Jeanne I can't answer your confession about loving me. And I can't stop being Jeanne because of Fin. She needs me."

Chiaki was quiet for a moment, before he spoke: "And what if I told you Fin was betraying you?"

Maron's eyes widened as she stared at Chiaki in shock.

"W-what?" she managed to choke out.

Chiaki looked at her regrettably before he continued: "What if I told you that Fin was the devil's advocate?"

Maron's world stopped at those words. Fin, a devil's advocate? No, it could not be. Fin was an angel, a servant of Kami-sama and most of all, her friend.

Maron took off in a run, determined to get to Fin to sort this out. She did not know if Chiaki was behind her or not but she suspected that he was. She hurried her steps, determined to prove not only herself, but Chiaki as well, of Fin's innocence.

Soon Maron arrived at her apartment, opening the door in a hurry.

"I'm home, Fin!" she yelled loudly from the door. A white glow came to her from the depths of the house.

"Welcome home!" Fin replied in her usual bright manner, her green hair in disarray.

"I brought you a present!" Maron said, presenting the jun-tenshi with the golden key chain. Fin cheered at it and took it to her arms. Maron was relieved. Fin was just her own self, there was no way she could the devil's advocate.

'Chiaki must have been mistaken', Maron thought happily as relief washed over her. That was when Chiaki rushed in.

"Maron!" he shouted out. "Get away from her!"

Maron watched in mute horror when she saw Fin actually 'grin' smugly before a wave of energy threw her off-balance. She was lucky Chiaki managed to catch her before she hit a wall.

"F-Fin?" Maron gasped out, reaching a hand out to the angle. And then, in front of her eyes, Fin started to change.

Fin grew taller, from fairy size to human size, her hair became longer and her attire changed from light colors to dark ones. Maron felt fear creep into her soul when she was faced with Fin's new cold eyes.

"Fi-Fin?" Maron gasped out. "Are you a demon as well?"

"No", Fin replied. "I am a Da-tenshi. I serve only Maou-sama."

Maron pulled herself out from Chiaki's arms and wobbled over to her friend.

"This is all just a joke, right Fin?" she asked desperately. "About you being the devil's advocate and betraying me? It's all just a joke." She reached out to touch the angel. A powerful energy shock sent her staggering back to Chiaki, who immediately embraced her protectively.

"Don't touch me", Fin said coldly. "You're annoying." She shot Maron a murderous glare as she screamed: "I've always hated you Maron!"

Maron was sure her heart stopped at the words. Her legs gave away underneath her and she was now completely supported by Chiaki's strong arms.

"My real job was to: 'Hurt the reincarnation of Jeanne D'Arc'", Fin confessed proudly. "And I must say, I've done a wonderful job. All down to your parents."

"M-my pa-parents?" Maron stuttered.

"Didn't you realize? Your parents were manipulated by demons to leave you on your own. It was our plan to make sure you grew up to be a weak human, Maron. You. Are. Weak."

Maron watched numbly as Fin took flight, right out of the balcony window. Streams of tears broke down from her eyes as she called: "FIN!"

'Are these tears false too?' Maron thought bitterly. 'All those words you said to me? About being my family? And when you comforted me about Zen-kun? And when you were strong for me when I was unsure about Sinbad's motives? Were those all just lies?'

"Fin!" Marron called again. "I didn't care about the wish! The reason I continued was because of Fin! I don't care if you're an angel or a demon as long as you stay with me! FIN!"

Fin did not come back. Maron collapsed completely against Chiaki's chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

'Why?' her mind repeated over and over again. 'Why did it have to be like this? Why do all these bad things happen because of me?'

_**To be continued...**_


	4. Entering The Truth

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 4**

**Entering The Truth**

We were best friends, Fin and I. There were four of us in total. Two other best friends besides me. Their names were Celcia Form and Toki Haiyar. Only Fin, Celcia and Toki made it to pure angels. I, Access, was stuck as a Kuro-tenshi when the three of them got to go to Earth for three days and nights.

I remember it, right before Fin and the others were leaving I caught up with Fin. I told her that I had something to say to her when she came back. I wanted to say that I was sorry about all the times I teased her, and that I...loved her.

Almost immediately after Fin, Celcia and Toki had arrived on Earth things went wrong, horribly horribly wrong.

They came across a human who could see them. He was a priest at a temple that had holy water. First Fin had really liked the man, but then she had found out something awful. The man, Kukehara Sagami, had murdered his sister and put her in ice to make holy water that he sold to people. Fin knew this, because she was that sister, Natsuki, reborn as an angel.

Sagami had also captured Celcia and Toki to make more holy water and was planning on using Fin for that purpose as well.

An angel's hair color is determined by their level of holding spiritual energy, since they store their energy in their hair. Gold is the color of a fully charged angel whereas white is the highest level of power. When Sagami had seen Fin's green hair he had realized that Fin held even greater potential than a white-haired angel since the color was so rare.

He tried to capture Fin to use her as a source of holy water as well. As he caught Fin, he accidentally cut Fin's hair with the knife that was in his hand. At the moment Fin's hair was cut all of her spiritual energy was released. She was unable to stop a gigantic energy pillar from erupting and killing hundreds of people.

Killing a human is the worst crime an angel can commit. As punishment Fin was sent to the gate of destruction. Before she passed through Maou called to her, telling her that if she came with him she could live. Fin chose to live but became a Da-tenshi in her betrayal.

I never stopped loving her, though.

_**To be continued...**_


	5. Entering The Doubt

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 5**

**Entering The Doubt**

Kaito pushed his chair backwards a bit as he thought. The things Jeanne had told him only a couple of days ago were amazing to say the least. He wanted to meet the other Kaitou again, to ask more about the demons and such. Could the answer to finding Pandora be found from the supernatural? Pandora itself was, after all, mythical as well.

The class was going to begin in fifteen minutes. It was unusual of Kaito to be at school so early, but he had woken up early, unable to go back to sleep.

When the classroom door was opened Kaito's attention was immediately brought to the person entering. No other than Hakuba Saguru walked inside, seemingly deep in thought.

"I heard there was a Kid heist over the weekend", Kaito started, trying to get the detective to notice him. He was bored and needed some entertainment. Hakuba would do more than nicely before Aoko came.

Hakuba glanced at Kaito once before saying: "You're early."

Kaito huffed.

"The least you could do is give me a proper greeting", he said in an insulted manner.

"I apologise", Hakuba said and walked over to his desk. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Kuroba-kun." With that Hakuba took a gentle hold of Kaito's hand and planted a small peck on the back of it.

Kaito felt his cheeks grow warm from the gesture. His mouth was dry and he did not think he could say anything and he would not have trusted his mouth to say the right thing anyway.

"See how you like it", Hakuba said as he let go of Kaito's hand and straightened himself.

This time Kaito's face turned red from anger. That was a cruel joke! Not even he would pull something like that on someone. Well, maybe on Hakuba...

Kaito ducked his head in embarrassment. Who was he trying to fool? He had had that coming for a long time. At least Hakuba was courteous enough to embarrass him in private. To be completely honest, Hakuba would never have dared to do something like that in front of other people. For some reason the blond actually cared about what others thought.

"And on the previous topic; you should know all about it", Hakuba said as he continued to pass Kaito. "After all, you were there."

"For the last time..." Kaito growled at the blond. "I. Am. Not. Kid."

"...Of course..." Somehow Hakuba's response lacked the usual sarcasm and edge. Kaito wondered about it but decided it was best not to bring it up. You never knew when Hakuba's cool appearance would shatter and the blond would turn vicious.

That was when Akako walked into the room in her confident glory. If Kaito had not been so scared of her he might have asked her about the demons that haunted beautiful pieces of art. But as the thing was, Kaito was afraid of the witch. She had a nasty habit of querying about his personal matters, **very** personal matters.

"What a strange aura there is in the air..." Akako spoke cryptically as she stopped in the middle of the room. "Did you do something to upset Hakuba-kun again, Kuroba-kun?"

"What?" Kaito shouted out, standing up. "No I didn't! It was he who ki-!" Kaito caught himself off by covering his mouth with his hands. He did **not** want to let Akako know about that, the witch had enough dirt on him as it was.

"He was the one who...what, Kuroba-kun?" Akako questioned with a feline-like smile. Kaito hoped to what ever forces there were that the crimson-haired witch did not know his secret already.

"Nothing!" Kaito snapped with a huff. "It's none of your business!"

Akako looked at him as if she was hurt but Kaito did not relent. If the girl thought the kicked puppy look would work on him she was dead wrong. Akako made her way to Hakuba who was just about to sit down but paused in his movements when Akako came to him.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Koizumi-san", Hakuba said pleasantly. Kaito noticed a undertone to the sentence. It either meant: "Stop breathing my air", or: "Don't mess with me and I won't mess with you." It was difficult to tell, since Kaito's 'Guide to Hakuba undertones' was still incomplete.

"Busy tonight, Haku-chan?" Akako asked with an almost evil sneer. Hakuba stood relentlessly, which impressed Kaito. Many other men would have fled by now. A small smile came to Hakuba's face but, as usual, his eyes did not seem to be quite in it.

"As a matter of fact, yes", the detective said politely. "I have some tasks to attend to at my grandfather's laboratory. Why do you ask?"

"There's a heist tonight."

"A Kid heist? You must be mistaken, I would have been informed if there was a-"

"Not a Kid heist", Akako interrupted the detective. "A Jeanne heist, I understood from what my friend told me. She did only mention a notice from Sinbad, but..."

"Why would I be interested in that?" Hakuba asked with a frown. Kaito had to agree with the blond. This was not interesting information to Hakuba, only Kaito. Kaito grinned at that thought. How clever Akako was! Apparently she knew of Kid and Jeanne's meeting and figured that Kaito would need this information.

"Well, you are a Kaitou expert..." Akako drawled. "Would figure that you'd be interested in all the phantom thieves."

"Call it: 'focusing research'. I can't run around after every thief all the time", Hakuba replied and flopped down on his chair. "Tell me there is a Kid heist coming up and I'm all ears." With that Hakuba pulled out a book from his bag and started reading it.

As Akako started to make her way to her own seat she gave Kaito a short, knowing smile. Calling Akako clever would not have made the girl justice. The witch was full-out devious. And dangerous.

&&&same morning&&&

Maron woke up in a foreign bed, still dressed in her clothes from yesterday. She glanced up to see Chiaki sleeping soundly next to her. She remembered falling asleep soon after Access' story and that Chiaki had held her the entire time. That meant that she must have been in Chiaki's apartment.

Chiaki was still holding on to her, his arms wrapped securely around her back. That gesture made her smile brightly as she slipped out of the boy's embrace.

&&&&&&&

Chiaki woke up to find himself alone. Startled, he quickly got up from bed and rushed out of the bedroom.

"Maron!" he called as he arrived in the kitchen, only to find a set table and breakfast ready.

"Morning, Chiaki!" Maron said brightly as she turned to face the boy. "I'm sorry I used the kitchen without asking-" The girl was cur off when Chiaki quickly grabbed her into a firm hug.

"Chiaki?"

"I thought you had disappeared again..."

"I'm not like before anymore", Maron said soothingly. "We should eat. We have school."

"Wow!" Access cheered as he arrived in the kitchen. "Finally someone who can cook!"

&&&&&&&

Maron and Chiaki were almost late for school, since they had stayed to wait for Miyako to show up before leaving. The other girl had never shown up so they had had to leave on their own. They found Miyako already in the school.

"We waited for you for ages!" Maron whined to her best friend. "You should have told us if you were going to go ahead."

"Toudaiji-san has to go to cram school", Minazuki offered helpfully. Miyako's angry glare chased him to a safe distance.

"I thought cram school was after school", Maron said curiously.

"They said I can't go then so I have to go at night", Miyako said bitterly. "And the worst thing is that I can't know when the Kaitou will next strike."

Maron smiled sadly as she spoke: "Jeanne might not appear anymore." She had tried to change into Jeanne but found out that she could not do it, not without Fin.

Maron then turned around to walk to her desk so she did not see the worried look Miyako shot at her back.

&&&&&&&

When Maron and Chiaki got back to Chiaki's apartment Access was already waiting for them impatiently.

"Another job for you, Chiaki!" were Access' first words when the two humans stepped inside the flat. "I've already sent out a notice."

"Right", Chiaki said with a slight sigh. He looked at Maron worriedly.

"Will you be ok?" he asked. Maron smiled at him.

"Of course!" the girl said brightly. "We must work hard and try to get Fin back."

"Right!" Access cheered. "No demon will stand in our way!"

Maron kept her bright smile on when Chiaki, now Sinbad, and Access made it to leave the apartment.

"Good luck", she said to Chiaki before the two males were gone. She then shot a look at the mirror on the wall and sighed at the fake smile she had on, letting it drop.

"What a shameful face..." she muttered softly.

&&&&&&&

Kaito straightened his police hat, checking over his disguise once more. He had been in a lot of hurry to get his equipment ready for the night so that he could take part in the heist.

Usually Kaitous Jeanne and Sinbad would appear at same scenes, so Kaito suspected that Jeanne would appear there as well, even though Akako had not heard of a note having been sent from her.

Taking a deep breath Kaito walked inside the building. No one stopped him so he figured that his disguise was working. He looked around but did not sight Hakuba. Apparently the things the detective had to do at the lab were really top priority since he had not come to the heist. There was also the possibility that the blond was only interested in Kid heists.

Whistling a happy tune Kaito followed the rest of the police officers. This was going to be too easy, unless something unexpected happened. And he could not think about anything that could happen to disrupt his plans to meet Kaitou Jeanne once more.

&&&&&&&

"I don't want to do this..." a figure in darkness groaned. "I don't want to be a thief..."

"It's alright", his smaller companion said gently. "You just need to lure the demon out of the painting. Technically you aren't stealing anything."

"I still don't like this."

"Just remember; Sinbad and Jeanne are tough competition. Be on your guard."

"On my guard, got it. Anything else?"

"Yes. Don't. Try. Too. Hard. This is your first real job, it's ok to fail."

"I never fail if there's anything I can do to prevent it."

The smaller figure let out a defeated sigh.

"Why do I even bother with you?"

&&&&&&&

Chiaki was all ready to go. He quickly swept inside of the building through a window, sending glass shards around him. The flying shards caused the gathered police officers to back off around him, which was just the reaction he had been expecting.

Taking out his black pin Chiaki faced the painting on the wall. He readied his hand to throw it while the police officers kept crashing into each other, trying to catch him. He ran across the room, deciding to keep himself mobile so that he was even more of a difficult catch for the officers messing about.

"Checkmate!" Chiaki shouted out, throwing the pin at the painting. Just then something went past the painting, grabbing his pin as it went past. Chiaki stared with wide eyes at a young man around his age or a few years older.

The newcomer was dressed in a white sweater and a green coat that reached half-way down his thighs. He was also wearing white pants and dark brown shoes. He had a dark red braid that reached to the back of his knees. His eyes were an inhuman golden color and the right one was covered by a monocle.

"I believe this is yours", the new arrival said, flipping the pin to Chiaki with his thumb. Chiaki caught it. He was so stunned that he only noticed the police officers gaining up on him after he had been bound tightly.

When the police tried to grab the green-coated man he simply leaped upwards, putting himself out of the police's reach by hanging from a chandelier by one hand. He pulled something out from the depths of his coat, something that shimmered silver in Chiaki's eyes.

"By destiny I've been bestowed power", the stranger began to chant. "By duty I stand against you. By devotion I seal you!" Then he flipped his thumb, sending a silvery orb at the painting. The painting was wiped completely clean, all of its contents being absorbed into the marble-sized silver ball.

The green and white -clad thief jumped down and grabbed the small orb swiftly. He then turned to the window.

"Wait!" Miyako yelled at the new thief. "Who are you?"

The thief turned around, standing on the windowsill. He gave a deep bow to the girl, saying: "I am Kaitou Red and I apologise dropping by without announcement. I will remedy that in the future." With that he leaped outside.

Chiaki finally caught up with himself and broke out of the ropes binding him. He took off after Red as quickly as he possibly could.

"Hey!" Minazuki's voice echoed in the room. "Why are you just standing about? Even you, Toudaiji-san?" At the last point his voice turned into a whine. It did not make much of a difference, though. Everyone's attention was still on the window the two thieves had escaped through.

&&&&&&&

Kaito blinked once and then he blinked twice. That had been **very** unexpected. A completely new thief with manners to rival any honest person's own. Not to mention he had been in and out faster than any other thief Kaito had ever witnessed, including himself. That last part made him slightly envious.

Deciding that he should be there when the situation began to unfold Kaito took off after Sinbad, making sure that none of the officers noticed him leave. He was also wondering why Jeanne had not shown up.

Far too many questions were unanswered at the moment. He would have to remedy that as soon as possible.

&&&&&&&

Miyako had been startled by the look in Kaitou Red's eyes. It had been so intense and the golden orbs had held inner flame that surpassed anything Miyako had ever seen before. This new thief had such passion it was breath-taking to say the least.

The girl's thoughts were brought away from the green-clothed thief when she realized one thing about the heist. One thing that caused her heart to almost freeze over in dread.

Jeanne had never shown up, just like Maron had said.

"Maron knew..." Miyako spoke quietly. "She knew..."

_**To be continued...**_


	6. Entering The Opposition

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 6**

**Entering The Opposition**

"Wait!" Chiaki shouted out after Red. "Stop! Don't make me use force!"

Chiaki was surprised when the other thief actually stopped on top of a rooftop, turning to face him with an impatient glare.

"What do you want?" Red said in an annoyed tone. "Why do you insist on pursuing me? You can not gain the demon anymore. It has sunk into the silver."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chiaki asked. "'Sunk into the silver'?"

"My silver orbs hold strong magic, they are 'deep', so to speak. The demon entered it and sunk in, it can't get out", Red explained, sounding more aggravated by the minute. "Now, is there something more you want or can I go?"

"Who do you work for? Hell or heaven?"

Red looked at him relentlessly, a smug smirk appearing on his face. He flipped his long braid to the side in a dismissive gesture as he said: "Neither."

"What?" Chiaki gasped out. "How's that even possible?"

"I don't make the rules", Red said, shrugging. "I simply go by them as much as my position allows."

"And your position is?"

"None of your business", Red said with a snarl before taking off again. "I hope that during our future meetings you won't turn out to be such a nuisance."

Chiaki was silently fuming to himself when he heard an unfamiliar voice from behind him say: "Quite arrogant, wouldn't you say?"

The thief whirled around to see a young man dressed completely in white. Had Maron not mentioned a person like this to him yesterday? He had a strange name.

"Have a moment to chat, Sinbad-san?"

Chiaki spread his arms in a disarming gesture.

"Sure", he said off-handedly. "What do you need to speak to me about, Kaitou Kid?"

&&&&&&&

Minazuki was moping silently because Sinbad got away so Miyako decided to ignore him for the moment. She was currently eyeing the painting Kaitou Red had taken. The picture had been wiped clean but now a new image was starting to appear, just like with the paintings Jeanne stole.

"It's the same", one of the officers said. "It looks exactly the same."

Miyako did not quite agree. The new painting did look a lot like the one that had been there before. The original one had been of a flower field, this one was a flower field as well. The difference was that the flowers were a few shades darker, like the vision that had created the picture in the first place had been changed.

The sky had been completely clear before, now it held clouds like if a storm had been coming. The time of the day in the picture had been changed; from midday to almost dusk.

"It's the same view", Minazuki said from next to Miyako, startling the girl slightly. "Just through another person's eyes."

"It's beyond comparison", the owner of the painting, a middle aged woman, spoke breathlessly. "It's just dark enough to be fascinating but still bright enough to grant hope. I love it."

Miyako let out a heavy sigh as she watched the new painting. It truly seemed more complete than the original one. She just could not help but wonder what kind of an angel Jeanne would have given the woman if she had bothered to show up.

"Jeanne", Miyako said softly. "Why didn't you come? And why did Maron know you weren't coming?"

As people began to walk out of the room Miyako left with them. Her hand was inside her pocket, playing with a slip of paper. She wondered if it was too late to make a call. She definitely could use some companionship at the moment.

&&&&&&&

Chiaki's unsuccessful night got a lot better as soon as he climbed through the balcony door into his apartment.

"Chiaki!" Maron's happy voice greeted and the boy was granted with the sight of the girl's beautiful smile. The situation really reminded Chiaki of a wife greeting her husband that was returning home from work.

"Chiaki?" Maron asked, looking confused suddenly. "Why are you blushing?"

Chiaki waved his arms aimlessly as he shouted out: "N-nothing! It's nothing!" The he rushed into the bathroom. "I'll just take a shower."

Not really understanding the situation, Maron let out a bright laugh. She felt so much better now that Chiaki was back. She did not want to be alone. Ever again.

&&&&&&&

Red held the silver marble to the moonlight, trying to peer inside the swirling depths. He had explained the orbs to Kaitou Sinbad without any trouble but that did not mean he understood them himself. He had barely started this play-acting and the only one who knew anything about his equipment was the one who had given them to him.

"Red..." Speaking of the devil. Red turned around to face the ghastly form of his only comrade in crime.

"I got it", Red said emotionlessly, offering the orb to the hazy form of a man. At least it looked like a man mostly. The figure had a habit of shifting a bit, looking like a human at one moment and then turning into a turkey the next. It seemed to amuse the shrunken human form to no end but only annoyed Red.

"Good work, Red!" the grey form cheered as he took the silver orb from the redhead. It was the size of the figure's head. At the moment, at least. The little manifestation Red considered a thorn in his side liked to change his size as well.

"How many more do I need?" Red asked as the smaller figure studied the ball. "How many demons does it take to corrupt something holy?"

"Now now, Red..." the small man scolded the thief. "You should know that we're not dealing with just something holy here. This is **the** holy thing, many millennia old. We need the power to kill in order to break the magic."

Red was feeling dread creep up his back as he asked the one question he definitely did not want to query about: "How many demons does that take?"

"If we keep running into these low-level ones then I say ten, at the least."

The answer did not please Red. Not the slightest bit. That meant at least ten more sleepless nights spent suffering from an adrenaline rush and a lot of research on internet and newspapers.

"I'm not going to gather the intelligence on my own", were the words Red used to form his thoughts into words.

&&&&&&&

Kaito was deep in thought as he came out of the secret room and started making his way to his bedroom. The rules had been changed that night, that much Kaito was certain of even if he was new to the thing Jeanne and Sinbad were doing. Kaito liked to consider himself the rogue card in the game but now it seemed that the appearance of Red had flipped things over a bit.

This was his last chance to back down, Kaito realized. This was the so-called point of no return. If he did not pull out of this mess now he would have to stick with it to the end.

"Oh, what the heck", Kaito said with a shrug. "This the best lead on Pandora I've had since...ever." With that decision he climbed into his bed, waiting for sleep to claim him after a very hectic night.

_**To be continued...**_


	7. Entering The Third Party

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 7**

**Entering The Third Party**

Kaito rubbed the back of his head. Why could he not figure it out? The short discussion Kaitous Red and Sinbad had shared the night before plagued the brunet's mind.

_"Who do you work for? Hell or heaven?"_

_"Neither."_

What had the redhead meant with that? Jeanne had given Kaito the impression that only heaven and hell were caught up in this war over the demons that haunted different pieces of art. If that truly was the case, like the magician suspected from Sinbad's reaction to the words, then who could Red be working for? Was there a third party?

"What is the third party in the war between heaven and hell?" Kaito thought, this time rubbing his forehead. He was not getting anywhere with this.

"Earth", a voice spoke suddenly. Kaito glanced up into Hakuba's face. The blond was eyeing him curiously, his head tilted to the side in a gesture Kaito had not seen on the other before. That did not mean he did not find it endearing, though.

"Bwuh?" Kaito replied intelligently to his rival.

A small smile twitched on Hakuba's lips before the blond said: "You asked what's the third party in the war between heaven and hell. The answer is the human realm, earth."

Kaito blinked, surprised. He had actually asked his question aloud? Well, it did not matter any more. At least he got the answer he was looking for from it.

"Why are you interested in such a thing?" Hakuba asked, his head starting to tilt again. Kaito felt his lips turning into a fond smile as he realized that Hakuba was sleep-deprived. The blond was always so cute when he suffered from lack of sleep, as long as it did not go overboard.

"Just wondering about something I heard somewhere", Kaito replied carelessly. "You stayed up late? You look horrible." That was a complete lie, Hakuba had never looked sweeter than he did at the moments when his brain refused to work properly.

"I got a call from Toudaiji-kun..." Hakuba's reply was distracted as the blond seemed to sink into his own thoughts. The thoughtful air continued surrounding the detective as he made his way to his desk and sat down.

Toudaiji... It took a Kaito a moment to connect the name to a face. Toudaiji was the girl who kept chasing Jeanne in the same manner Hakuba chased Kid. It would figure that the two of them would get along.

Something twisted in the pit of Kaito's stomach when he thought about the two Kaitou-experts growing closer. What if they started to date? Toudaiji seemed like the kind of a girl Hakuba would like. Strong and intelligent.

With a quick shake of his head Kaito ordered himself to stop bothering with so pointless thoughts. But the thing was, they were not pointless. They were very important and Kaito was just starting to realize why.

The magician leaned his chin on his hands as his gaze drifted to the blond-haired detective that was now taking over his thoughts. Could it really be? Had the world finally come to an end? Was Kaito really starting to feel jealous because of his greatest rival?

&&&&&&&

Saguru rubbed his eyes with his other hand, trying to clear his head a bit. Toudaiji had sounded so frantic on the phone the previous night that it still disturbed him. The thoughts the conversation had woken up in the detective had kept him up almost the whole night.

&&&flashback&&&

_The sound of his cell phone ringing snapped Saguru out of the slight doze he had barely had time to drift into. With an annoyed growl the blond tried to crawl out of bed and ended up on the floor in an undignified heap._

_Feeling more aggravated by the minute the detective dug through the clothes he had carelessly thrown on the floor, cursing himself for not bothering to fold them properly like he usually did._

_Finally Saguru pulled out his cell phone, letting out a victorious but mostly relieved grunt as he pressed the button on the phone to take the call._

_"Hakuba-san?"_

_Saguru blinked in confusion at the tentative tone. It took his a few moments to connect the voice to the correct face._

_"Toudaiji-kun", Saguru acknowledged, his voice still groggy from just being awaken. He really was not a fast riser._

_"I hope I'm not calling at a bad time."_

_"Don't mind me", Saguru muffled to the phone. "I'll just be very stupid for a while so just go ahead and speak."_

_"Thank you. There was a heist tonight and Jeanne did not show up even thought Sinbad did."_

_Saguru had no idea how Toudaiji's monologue was supposed to affect him so he just listened without a word._

_"The worst thing about it all was that my friend knew she wasn't going to show up!" Now Toudaiji's voice rose from the fear the girl was apparently feeling. "I don't know what to think about it. What if my friend **is** Jeanne?"_

_"Ah..." Saguru managed to get out, finally getting a grip of the conversation. This was a topic was on safe ground with. At least somewhat._

_"I don't know what to do", Toudaiji said in a weak voice. Saguru realized the tone as the same one from the day before. The tone was the same the girl had used when talking about her best friend dating the boy she had a crush on._

_'Oh no...' Saguru thought to himself. If things were like he suspected then they were really bad. He was not sure if he could give Toudaiji much consolation._

_"Protect her at all costs." Saguru had no idea where those words came from. They were definitely not the ones he had intended on speaking. He had not idea what he had been about to say but that had not been it._

_"You need to keep her safe", Saguru said warmly. "It's what friends do, isn't it?"_

_"Hakuba-san..." Toudaiji's voice was very weak, barely audible. Then the girl started speaking again, her voice growing stronger with each word: "You're absolutely right. Thank you."_

_Saguru was about to shut the cell phone off when he heard one last muttered sentence: "Oyasumi, Hakuba-san."_

_A small smile tugged on Saguru's lips as he replied: "Oyasumi nasai, Toudaiji-kun", before closing his phone._

_Tiredly Saguru tossed the cell phone aside and climbed back into his bed and crawled underneath the blankets._

_After about twenty minutes Saguru realized that it was not going to be easy to fall asleep again. The words he had said to Toudaiji troubled him. Where had they come from? Such thoughts had not passed his mind ever before._

_With a defeated sigh Saguru accepted the fact that he was in for a hazy day tomorrow. Hopefully he would not act too much out of character._

&&&end of flashback&&&

Saguru glanced briefly into the direction of the class clown and magician. When he saw the deep violet eyes flash in his direction he felt his cheeks heat up. Quickly looking away Saguru tried to focus on the teacher's lecture.

It did not work.

Saguru's stomach was making flips and for a moment the blond thought that he was going to throw up. But then he realized that the flipping was quite pleasant-feeling once it calmed down somewhat.

It did not take long for the detective to realize that he was again thinking about the brunet. Furious at himself, Saguru shook his head to clear it. It was absolutely ridiculous! He should not be affected this much by the other boy but the words he had spoken to Toudaiji, the ones from the previous night and earlier, plagued his mind.

With a sigh Saguru came to a decision. He would protect Kuroba at all costs, because that was what he wanted to do. Perhaps then the magician would stop invading his thoughts. He was probably just worried. And maybe the change in perspective would help him understand the thief better.

_**To be continued...**_

Ending Notes: I decided to keep this one, since I couldn't figure out any way to get this story to work without the Kaito x Saguru pairing. So, sorry to anyone who dislikes shounen-ai but practically won out in the end.


	8. Entering The Fallen Angel

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 8**

**Entering The Fallen Angel**

Miyako smiled brightly when Maron arrived in class the day after Jeanne's no-show. She had been incredibly worried that something had happened to the girl when she had realized that a missing Jeanne might very well mean a missing Maron as well.

"Maron!" Miyako cheered and waved excitedly before catching herself. She was **not** supposed to act like this. She was supposed to be mean and sometimes even heartless.

"Miyako!"

It was too late now. Maron had already thrown herself at Miyako, hugging the daylights out of her. The arrival of the teacher was like a gift from the heavens. It saved Miyako from brain damage due the lack of oxygen.

When Chiaki's hand brushed purposefully against Maron's own, a wave of jealousy went through Miyako's stomach. But it was not as bad as it had been before. Even if she could not have Chiaki to herself, then at least Maron could be happy.

The conversation with Hakuba from the previous night played over again in Miyako's mind. She would protect Maron, like she had sworn to do a long time ago. Maron was her important person and she would not lose her.

&&&&&&&

Maron could not focus on the words the teacher was speaking and found her mind wandering. While she was pondering about various things her hand brushed against something inside her desk. She pulled out her rosary.

'I wonder...' Maron thought to herself. 'Was it all really for nothing? And now I can't do anything at all.'

As Maron eyed the piece of jewellery Fin's words echoed inside her mind once more: _"I've always hated you Maron!"_

Maron almost dropped the rosary at the strength of that one memory. Her breath quickening she shoved the item into her uniform pocket. From her side she could see Chiaki give her a worried glance.

&&&&&&&

'I can't let this get to me', Maron decided when she was playing basketball with the other girls on the gym lesson. 'I have to be strong.'

Maron jumped up in order to make sure the ball went through the loop: 'I don't need anyone anymore!'

_"I've always hated you Maron!"_

Suddenly Maron lost her concentration and fell to the floor like a rock. The impact let out a loud thump and once again the girl felt the tears that were about to fall.

That was when a pair of arms wrapped around her and picked her up bridal style. Maron's eyes came to rest on Chiaki's determined face.

"She was sick this morning already", the boy explained quickly. "I'm going to be taking her home."

"Sure", one of the girls on the team agreed. They never seemed to be able to resist the boy's charm.

Maron stayed quiet the whole time Chiaki carried her to the nurse office. When she had been settled down on a bed she finally spoke weakly: "Don't be so kind... I told you I couldn't return your feelings and still you act like it's okay." Maron frowned suddenly as she snapped at the boy: "What if I'm just using you? I'm just using your feelings, I'm such a cruel girl!"

Chiaki tried to approach Maron, probably to calm the girl down, but Maron started to struggle, screaming: "Don't touch me!"

That was when the distraught girl felt the warm lips against her own. Chiaki kissed her with incredible passion and devotion, completely stealing Maron's breath away, along with any straight thought.

When the boy pulled away he started speaking gently: "After I hurt you so badly by tricking you, after you forgave me my deception enough to let me stay by your side, after that I was happy to just be able to stay by your side. You can use me a thousand times over and I still won't feel betrayed. Thank you for that. You can always count on my kindness."

Maron felt fresh tears fall at the kind words. She loved Chiaki so much and she had almost pushed him away because of her own childish fears. Weakly the girl choked out: "I'm sorry. I lied about using you. I'm just so scared." Maron sobbed quietly before crying out: "I can't forget Fin's words. I'm scared that everyone in the world hates me!"

Chiaki pulled Maron into his arms and spoke tenderly: "It's ok Maron. You don't have to think about it anymore."

That was when the two heard the sound of wings flapping. Followed by that came Access panicky voice: "Chiaki! I've been looking everywhere for you when you didn't answer your rosary! There's another demon and Red is also after it!"

Maron felt Chiaki's arms around her tighten as the boy drawled dangerously: "Did you just have to spoil such an perfect moment?"

With a quiet smile Maron leaned more firmly against Chiaki's chest. They would have to get going home so that Chiaki could get going on his mission but Maron wanted to enjoy the boy's warmth for a while longer. At that single moment, everything was perfect, the calm before the storm.

&&&&&&&

"Wraith", Red spoke as he eyed the place they were going to strike in an hour, the Momokuri museum. Tonight's target was a charcoal painting, almost two hundred years old.

The phantom that looked like a man for once was by Red's side instantly.

"What's wrong, Red-kun?"

Red pointed at something a few rooftops further ahead as asked: "What is that?"

Wraith locked his eyes on the object and gasped without even really breathing.

"Well?" Red drawled impatiently. "Is it Sinbad or Jeanne? Or is it a police officer?" Red hated the fact that longer sight did not come in the package of his Kaitou powers. In moments like these it would have been so useful.

"It's none of those", Wraith replied. "It's a Da-tenshi." There was a moment's pause and then the spirit shouted out in panic: "And it's coming this way!"

Only moments later a green-haired angel landed on the rooftop in front of Red. The angel was female and was wearing a short black dress and high-heeled shoes. Red met the golden green gaze without faltering.

"Who are you?" the angel asked him. "Did Maou-sama send you? You don't smell like a heavenly warrior."

Red smirked in a very superior manner before replying: "I am Kaitou Red. And I can be..." The redhead grabbed the angel's hand. "...anything you wish." He planted a kiss on the back of the hand. "My Lady."

Something akin to a smile appeared on the angel's face as she said: "That proves it. If you were heavenly my aura would have knocked you off this roof. My name is Fin Fish."

There was a pleasant smile on Red's face as he spoke: "It's a pleasure. Truly, it is." He let go of Fin's hand as he asked: "What might you be doing here?"

"Nothing", Fin replied simply. "I'm actually headed for the reincarnation of Jeanne D'Arc, Kusakabe Maron. I'm going to see if I can strike a deal with her."

Red raised a curious eyebrow at the answer.

"I'm afraid I'm a bit lost here", he said while bringing his hands behind his back. Fin let out a short laugh before saying: "I suppose you would be. I'm talking about Kami's human warrior, the soul that can reincarnate. She went about sealing demons under the name Kaitou Jeanne." Fin locked eyes with Red's golden ones once more. "This is all I can do for Maou-sama."

"I see..." Red said thoughtfully. "He's lucky to have someone as loyal as you."

"His honourable heart is the only thing I can trust. Without him I belong nowhere."

Red did not know what to think about the angel's words. It almost seemed like she was on the devil's side because she had no choice but there was also some free will there. The redhead frowned to himself. He hated opponents that he could not determine easily.

"Now I must go", Fin said while spreading her dark wings. "I have to go ask Maron if she would like to keep sealing demons."

"And if she chooses to refuse?"

"She won't", Fin said surely. "But if such a thing occurred I would have to make sure that there would never be a Jeanne again." With that the fallen angel was gone.

"Wraith", Red started once more when the silhouette of the angel had disappeared. The ghost appeared to him once more.

"What do you think about this?"

"I'm not sure", Wraith said honestly. "I don't know if we should interfere."

"Who said anything about interfering?" Red said with a grin. "I want to just go see."

"What about the heist?" Wraith asked. "You can't just send a notice and then decide not to show up!"

"You're absolutely right", Red said like he had just thought of it himself. "How could I possibly forget such a thing!" Now his voice had a tinge of sarcasm to it.

"What are you planning?" Wraith asked, feeling a dread creep up his non-existent, or just invisible, spine. "You don't talk like that unless you already have a plan."

"Simple", Red said with a grin. "You change into me and seal the demon!"

"What?" Wraith exclaimed. "I can't! My form isn't physical enough."

"Don't worry", Red said, his expression once again serious. "I'll lend you some of my energy. That way you can become physical for the rest of the day." Red winked at his companion. "After you have finished the mission you're free to do whatever you please."

"That is an appealing offer..." Wraith drawled. "But it will weaken you considerably. It'll take you days to recuperate."

"I'll be fine", Red said confidently. "And besides, you deserve a night in the physical realm."

Wraith was silent for a long moment before speaking: "I thought this was a business relationship with no real attachment."

Red looked away from the man's gaze before snapping: "Of course! Now lets just get this over with. We have a tight schedule!"

_**To be continued...**_

Ending Notes: The biggest question in this story at the moment is probably: Is Red good or bad? That's a one even I can't give a satisfying answer to, because Red's character is a bit complex. He has high morals but they can be bended and he certainly is not looking out for anyone at the moment.


	9. Entering The Freefall

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 9**

**Entering The Freefall**

It was after school, when Chiaki was getting ready to leave for the heist that Maron started to feel anxious again. She could not believe that here Chiaki was, leaving on a mission alone, and that she was unable to do so. She found herself missing Fin, not because of the fact that she helped to become Jeanne but because she really missed the angel's company. Right now, it would not even matter if Fin was a da-tenshi and working for the devil. She did not care about sides anymore. She simply, wanted her dear friend back.

"Take care, Maron", Chiaki, once again Sinbad, said as he lifted his facemask up to give Maron a kiss on the cheek.

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you that?" Maron asked in a fake cheerful voice. Chiaki did not seem to notice anything wrong with it as he smiled at Maron, the gesture visible in his eyes, before turning around and leaving with Access.

"I'll be back soon!" he called back as he disappeared into the night with his companion.

It was after she was absolutely sure that Chiaki was gone when she took out her useless rosary and allowed the deceiving smile to slip. Oh, how she wished Fin would return.

"My my, look at the great Kaitou Jeanne", a familiar voice drawled from behind Maron suddenly. "The great phantom thief, reduced to the role of a housewife." Maron whirled around to come face to face with the angel she had been thinking about for most of the day. "Tell me, what does it feel like to be weak now that you have had a taste of power?"

"Fin..." Maron whimpered weakly. "You came back." She was cut off from saying anything more as Fin lifted her hand in a stopping notion.

"This is merely a business proposal", the angel stated firmly. She pulled out a pile of white chess pieces, the ones Maron had sealed after becoming Jeanne. "The deal is the following: I'll help you become Jeanne again and return all the pieces I've stolen. Then we can continue sealing the demons together, as a team."

After hearing the suggestion Maron shook her head. "No", she stated simply. "I don't want to become Jeanne anymore. I've found my own strength." She smiled at Fin. "But I would like to be your friend again, Fin."

Cruel laughter was all the response Maron got before the fallen angel snapped at her: "Shut up, you idiot." She leaped forward and grabbed the rosary Maron was holding and moved over to the balcony with it, Maron hot on her heels. "Since you won't help me then this thing is useless." Fin said as she threw the rosary off the edge, laughing as she watched the item fall. "Now, that is a nice sight." She did not get to say anything more, though, as Maron jumped past her, after the rosary.

The wind grabbed on Maron's hair and dress as she reached out to grab the rosary, smiling when her hand closed around the cool metal. In her ears she heard to shouts, one in Fin's voice called: "You idiot!" While a voice that sounded exactly like Noin's shouted out: "Jeanne!" After that everything turned dark.

&&&&&&&

Kaito sat, perched on a rooftop, as the drama in the museum began to unfold. He was surprised, however, when he saw Sinbad darting off without the loot, leaving it for Red to take. It took Kaito a moment to decide which thief he should follow, and the choice was actually made for him when Kaitou Red suddenly appeared before him.

"Agh!" Kaito exclaimed as he jumped up to face Red's golden gaze. With a nervous laugh he tried: "Hiya."

"Amazing..." Red spoke, seemingly more to himself that to Kaito. "I never thought I would get to see this outfit again."

Kaito glanced down at his Kid costume before looking back at Red again.

"What are you getting at?" he asked. Red only smiled at him, not responding to his question as he said: "You really have grown, Kaito."

"W-what?" Kaito questioned, staring at Red with wide eyes. That was when he noticed the familiar way the eyes regarded him with and gasped in recognition. His voice hoarse, the phantom thief whispered weakly: "D-dad?"

&&&&&&&

Red had been watching the events unfold with mild interest but he actually allowed his jaw drop at the sight of one Kusakabe Maron falling down through the air towards the ground. But before he could react a dark form darted to the girl and caught her smoothly. The two landed on the ground safely and Red turned his gaze up to see the da-tenshi, Fin Fish, approach them.

It was after the fallen angel had hit the cloaked man with something that Red decided that he would have to do at least something. He quickly leaped out of his hiding spot among the trees and caught the angel's arms as she got ready to strike again.

"Stop it!" he hissed dangerously as he squeezed the arm in his grip. "They're both down, you've won. Leave them."

"Noin is a traitor!" Fin snarled at him. "A disgrace to all demons and everyone else who serves under Maou-sama!"

"And how is you killing him going to make things better?" Red questioned firmly. "You speak so nobly, but you act with little if no honour at all." He met Fin's hesitant gaze with his own unwavering one. "Is that really how you wish to live for all eternity?"

That was when Fin's arm went limp in Red's grasp as the angel's shoulders slumped. Red released her and watched silently as she spread her wings and took off without a word to him. After the angel had disappeared from his vision Red turned his attention to Noin's hunched form and grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey", he started. "You're Noin, right? Are you okay?" Not any later as after those words had been spoken did the ground disappear from beneath Red's feet. And not just the ground, Red also felt his feet and legs vanish, along with the rest of his body. His whole awareness disappeared as he went down, only the feel of the fabric of Noin's mantel beneath his fingertips telling him that he still existed.

_**To be continued...**_

Ending Notes: Sorry that this chapter is so short, I haven't been able to work on this story in months and was having a bit of a difficult time starting again. And sorry about this being nothing but one cliffhanger after another. Think of it as a build-up chapter. The next one is going to be moving the story forward again.


	10. Entering The Past

Author's Notes: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, but look on the bright side: this is probably the longest one of the bunch.

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 10**

**Entering the Past**

Miyako observed the heist scene before her and sighed. There really was no point to her being here. Jeanne was not going to show up, there was not even a notice from the blond thief. The girl was really in no mood to deal with Sinbad and Red going at each other. With a heavy sigh of resignation she turned around and started walking off. Her father's voice interrupted her: "Miyako-chan, where are you going?"

"Home. I don't feel like staying", was all the purple-haired girl said before she continued on her way. She passed by a protesting Minazuki and was out the door in moments, not glancing back once.

&&&&&&&

When Maron came to, the first thing she noticed was that she was lying on stone tiles. After this realization all the memories of the events from before came back in a giant rush. She hurriedly sat up, gazing around and trying to locate her rosary. There was no sign of the treasure and in addition to that she did not recognize her surroundings. It looked like she was in a dungeon straight out of a fantasy story.

"Jeanne, are you alright?" came a familiar voice from right behind her. With a startled yelp she jumped up, ready for a possible fight. Her posture relaxed, however, when she recognized Noin.

"I'm fine", the brunette replied and then glanced around again. "Where are we?"

"In France, I presume", a third voice entered the conversation. "Even though everything looks different, like we would have suddenly ended up in the middle of the fifteenth century or something."

Maron turned her gaze to the direction of the voice and a long braid of red hair immediately caught her attention. There was only one person who could have such long, ruby red hair.

"You are Red", Maron spoke softly. Immediately a pair of golden eyes locked with her hazel ones. A small smile tugged on thin lips as the male kaitou spoke: "Yes. I apologise, Jeanne-san. I should have introduced myself." In a flash Red was standing in front of Maron and brought her hand to his lips to give a small peck on her skin. The soft caress of the surprisingly full lips brought a small blush on Maron's cheeks and she quickly pulled her hand back.

"It's uh...nice to meet you too...Red-san", the girl managed to utter. Suddenly there were some louder noises, causing Maron to almost leap into Red's arms: "WAH!" Maron turned around to locate the source of the noise. A gloved hand appeared next to her shoulder and pointed at a window which seemingly attached the cell to a neighbouring one. Maron nodded her thanks to Red before speaking out: "Who's there?"

A woman appeared behind the bars of the window. Her hair was long and even thought it was a complete mess it managed to shine in a golden glow. She did not look much older than twenty.

"I am Jeanne D'Arc", the woman spoke in a voice that was full of power despite her ragged state. "Who are you?"

&&&&&&&

"D-dad? Is it really you?" Kaito uttered weakly as he stepped closer to Red's form. "You're still alive? How? Where have you been?" There were so many questions Kaito had; there was so much he wanted to talk about with his father. But now, as the man was standing in front of his, finally real, all Kaito could get out where questions on how Toichi had gotten there.

"Yes, Kaito, it's really me", Toichi spoke, his voice oddly sad. "But..." The man hesitated slightly. "But I'm not alive, son. I am very much dead. This form is only temporary, lasting but this night." The man shook his head. "As for where I've been...I guess you could say I've been floating around."

"Please dad, don't joke with me", Kaito spoke weakly, hurt at the revelation that his father was truly dead. "How are you here now, looking like that even? Have you been Red this whole time?"

"No", Toichi replied. "I am not Red. Red is...the one person who can help me reach my goal."

"Goal?" Kaito questioned. "What goal? Are you still looking for the Pandora?"

"Pandora? No." Toichi shook his head. "This is something I have to do in order to finally pass on. It's not fun to be trapped between here and the other side." The man looked deep into Kaito's eyes, twin pairs of purple eyes locking in a gaze that sought truth. "I'm unable to give you any details, son. It's better that you do not know any more than what is strictly necessary."

"Don't you dare keep me in the dark!" Kaito snapped at the man before him. "I want to help you! I can be of help! Don't you know all the things I've done?"

"Yes, I do know", Toichi spoke softly, but still with enough strength to leave Kaito speechless. The man had always been able to silence his son, even when the boy had been a small child with terrible temper tantrums. "I have followed you closely, even if I haven't been able to meet you." Toichi smiled then. "And I must say that I am proud of you, Kaito. You have grown into a skilled magician."

"Thanks dad", Kaito said, his chest filling with a warm feeling his father's words caused. But the teen still looked at the man pleadingly as he continued: "But isn't that a reason to let me help? You know what I've been through, what I've experienced and learned. You know I could be of use."

"Kaito..." Toichi reached out, placing a hand on Kaito's shoulder before continuing: "A father always worries for his children. But, I need you to understand this, these aren't just some bad people I'm dealing with. These are forces beyond human comprehension. I don't want them to notice you and neither should you." The hand on Kaito's shoulder gave a firm squeeze. "You should step back now that you still can. If you keep getting yourself mixed into this you can never back down." Toichi's eyes turned icy for a moment as the man finished his speech: "No amount of magic can help you against these forces. Not even I can guarantee your safety if you decide to get involved."

"I can't make any promises, dad", Kaito said with a shake of his head, his father's hand falling away from his shoulder. "Especially after finding out you're mixed in this too." Kaito looked up at his father, mirroring perfectly the look of ice his father had given him moments before. "I won't let you face this alone."

"In that case I'll just have to make sure your help isn't needed", Toichi said in resignation. He smiled at Kaito then, as his body began to fade from sight. "I'm glad I got to speak with you, Kaito, even if this time is short."

"Wait!" Kaito called, reaching out for this father only to have his hand pass through the other's chest. "Where are you going?"

"To Red", his father replied. There was a worried hint to his voice as he continued: "He's in some sort of trouble. I have to make sure he is alright." He looked at Kaito with something akin to sorrow. "I will see you again, though. I promise you that." And with that he was gone.

&&&&&&&

Miyako sighed once more as she approached the apartment complex she lived in. She had been sighing a lot lately. There had to be something she could do about her situation, this current state could not do.

"I really shouldn't treat Maron so distantly because of my jealousy..." the girl muttered to herself as she walked. "I should probably apologise." Deciding that maybe that was exactly what she needed to do she looked up and across the front yard before the apartment complex. Something caught her eye then, something that was lying on the grass. Miyako froze when she realized that she recognized the form. She darted towards the form on the ground, a horrified scream erupting from between her lips: "MARON!!!"

&&&&&&&

Maron stared at the unknown woman in silent awe, her mind reeling as she thought in a haze: 'Golden hair, and that strong gaze...Jeanne?' Maron's eyes widened as she exclaimed out loud: "Jeanne D'Arc! The real one?"

"So it appears", came Noin's voice from right beside her. Before Maron had a chance to react Jeanne shouted rather heatedly: "Noin! I told you not to come!"

Noin stepped past Maron to stand in front of the bars separating them from Jeanne. With a voice full of longing the demon spoke: "I had to see you."

'What's going on?' Maron thought as she watched the display before her. She felt awfully like a peeping tom. 'What is Noin doing here? What am **I** doing here?' She released a soft sigh before whispering: "What's going on?"

Just then there was a series of loud noises that seemed to have a metallic ring to them. Jeanne glanced quickly to the side and then turned back to them. Her voice was frantic as she spoke: "The guards heard us! You must leave immediately!"

"Guards?" Maron questioned, only then realizing fully the situation they were in. They were clearly in a prison, and Jeanne looked completely messed, like she had been in a struggle. Unable to keep the incredulous undertone for her voice Maron questioned: "Were you caught?"

There was a regretful look on Jeanne's face as the woman responded: "Yes. I have been sentenced to die tomorrow." She turned her gaze to Noin once more before speaking in a commanding tone: "Noin, take the girl and leave."

Noin nodded his head with an air of longing as he spoke softly: "Alright." Then the man turned to Maron and picked the girl up. Maron briefly wondered where Red had disappeared too; there was no sign of the other thief in the cell. She did not have time to dwell on the matter for long, though, when Noin took off, easily escaping from the unlocked cell they had woken up in.

'Jeanne...' Maron thought sorrowfully before she looked over Noin's shoulder at Jeanne, feeling strange as she saw the strong woman so vulnerable. The great Jeanne looked awfully small to her. Steeling both her heart and expression Maron called over to the imprisoned woman: "I'll save you! Wait for me!" She barely had enough time to a surprised expression pass the blonde's face before they turned a corner, the woman gone from the girl's sight.

"We seem to have somehow gotten transported to the fifteenth century Europe", Noin said as soon as the two were hidden from any on-lookers among trees that were growing around the castle. Maron was not sure what to say to that but she did not need to comment when they heard noises from a nearby window. Turning her attention to the human voices Maron peeked inside.

There was a man who looked rather important, talking to a soldier. Maron guessed that the man before her was the one responsible for Jeanne's entrapment. She did not get a chance to ponder on that matter any more when the important-looking man started to speak: "Tomorrow we are going to burn that wretched Jeanne. After that we will be rid of her for good. I don't care if she was sent by the God or not but the people are completely convinced that she's a witch so they'll be happy to have her gone."

"Those fiends!" Maron fumed to herself. "They know that Jeanne is doing the right thing and they're still going to burn her!"

"They're demons", Noin commented from next to her. Maron turned her startled gaze to the demon, crying out: "What! But I can't seal them!"

"You don't have to", Noin stated simply. "You aren't even supposed to be here."

"I may not be able to seal them, but Jeanne can!" Maron spoke, standing up.

"It's May 29th here", spoke a voice that Maron could easily recognize this time around. "Jeanne D'Arc dies tomorrow, according to the history books." Maron whirled around to glare at Red's impassive face. "If you go and change history, many things will change."

"You might not exist", Noin added in. Maron turned to the demon, giving him a sad smile as she said: "I don't care. I can't watch a person die." The girl paused to think for a moment. "You said that you got possessed the same day Jeanne died. That makes it tomorrow. You have to find your past self and protect him." Her smile turned into a sincere one. "Then you and Jeanne can be together as humans."

A bright red blush appeared on Noin's cheeks and the demon sputtered a bit before grunting out: "We really should rest. My mantle will keep you warm." He threw his mantle aside a bit. Unable to resist Maron gave the demon a suspicious look as she said: "You sure you won't try anything funny?"

Noin blushed even redder as he hurried to assure: "I-I won't!"

"Calm down!" Maron said in a gentle and amused manner. "I believe you. After all, you could have tried a lot harder if you really wanted to take my powers. I think you're really kind."

"You really should rest", Noin muttered as he pulled Maron into his lap, hiding his face from the girl's line of vision. "I have watched over you all this time and I'll continue to do so. I don't want to see you cry again."

Maron smiled at the demon before closing her eyes and dozing off. Unbeknownst to her, Noin stayed up a while longer. The man looked up at Red who walked closer to the duo before sitting down against a tree. The red-head noticed Noin looking at him and spoke quietly to avoid waking up the sleeping girl: "Aren't you going to rest?"

"I'm a demon. I don't need rest", Noin replied simply. He glanced down at Maron's serene face and smiled. He looked up at Red again before starting to speak: "She is really nothing like Jeanne."

"What do you expect?" Red stated with a shrug. "They are centuries apart. People change with the world."

"Along with the people around them", Noin finished with a dark smile. "You're changing because of the people around you."

"That has got nothing to do with this", Red spoke defensively. He then looked curious. "Why are you comparing Maron to Jeanne D'Arc?"

"You noticed that her thief self has the same name as the famous woman currently in those dungeons?" Noin questioned and, at Red's nod, continued: "That's because Maron here is the reincarnation of that woman, of the woman I loved."

"Loved?" Red repeated in a hushed tone. "Past tense?"

"Forget it", Noin muttered back. "It was my mistake."

Red only nodded his head at the response before leaning back and closing his eyes. The other human was soon asleep as well.

_**To be continued...**_


	11. Entering The Kamikaze

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 11**

**Entering The Kamikaze**

Chiaki struggled with his binds as he watched Red escape once more with the demon. He was really getting sloppy after Maron had lost the ability transform into Jeanne. This was already the second time he had fallen into Minazuki's trap, and all because he could not stop worrying about Maron.

The sound of a cell phone ringing brought Chiaki's attention to Miyako's father, who had by now answered the call. He froze when he heard Miyako's voice on the other line: "Maron fell from the balcony!"

The police gathered did not have much time to realize what was going on before Chiaki was already making his way across the rooftops. It was really amazing how much more one could do when it was truly important.

As Chiaki rushed towards the direction of the apartment complex, he quickly whipped out his own cell phone and pressed one of the few numbers he had on speed dial, bringing the phone over to his ear.

"Dad! Send an ambulance to my apartment right away! It's an emergency!"

&&&&&&&

"Are you absolutely certain about this?" Red questioned from Maron. "This is an extremely important matter and you should not act hasty."

"Calm down, Red-san", Maron said in a manner she hoped sounded convincing to the red-head. "I have thought this through properly. I want to do anything I can in order to help Jeanne. I can't let her die."

Red looked reluctant for a while longer but finally released a sigh. He put his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a small velvet pouch. He poured the contents out on his other hand, revealing a bunch of silver-colored marbles.

"Okay", the green-clad thief muttered in a thoughtful manner. "I have ten seals. That will prove useful when you go and create a ruckus."

"What do you mean?" Maron asked, curious to know what the other thief had planned. As an answer Red flashed her a gaming grin and said: "I'm talking about the possibly possessed guards who will come rushing to the scene at Jeanne's release. I'm going to try to seal the demon energy of those guards in order to buy you more time while Noin is away trying to protect his past self."

Maron smiled brightly at the teenage boy in front of her, speaking softly: "Thank you."

"No problem", Red said and flashed the girl a smirk that held haunting familiarity. But before Maron could place the look, it was gone when Red turned to Noin. "We'd better get moving, then."

Noin nodded his head at the boy before vanishing. Red turned back to Maron.

"Ready?"

"I have to be", Maron spoke with resignation. A reassuring smile adorned Red's face before the other thief gave Maron's shoulder a friendly pat.

"It'll be alright", Red said quietly before also taking off, leaving Maron alone with her mission. With a last sigh Maron steeled herself and took off towards the town square. As she pushed her way past the crowd, surprising exclamations reached her ears: "Hey, what was that?" "What freak wind!"

Maron froze for a moment to look at the people she had passed. They could not see her?

"It's you...that girl from before", a voice suddenly spoke. Maron whirled around to see Jeanne looking right at her. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"I'm Maron, your reincarnation! I've come here to save you", Maron answered instantly. "You need to seal the demon. The bishop has been possessed, along with who knows how many of his followers."

"The whole town has been possessed", Jeanne replied sadly. "I came here, hoping to seal the unusually strong demon, but I got caught." The woman shook her head. "This town can't be saved..."

"Of course it can!" Maron insisted firmly. "You're Jeanne D'Arc! I'll just get you out of those binds and then you can seal the demon."

"I can't seal demons anymore", Jeanne spoke in a broken voice, her voice barely above a whisper. Maron stared at the woman, but before she could comment, Jeanne already continued: "The guard at the cells was a demon as well...he...he took away my purity. Only those who are pure can use the God's power."

"That's stupid!" Maron exclaimed, bringing Jeanne's surprised to herself once more. "A girl should be able to stay pure as long as that feeling of being pure is there! No man or demon can take that away!"

The surprise on Jeanne's face disappeared as the woman smiled at Maron, a sincere smile that held relief instead of bitter sadness. The woman started to speak: "I was going to use the last of my power to purify this whole town in my death. The strength you have displayed before has made me change those plans." Jeanne's face turned decisive. "The demon is in the painting at the cathedral. I'll give my powers to you. Use them to seal the demon." Maron gaped at the golden-haired woman. "Will you accept my power?"

"Y-yes", Maron managed to stutter. "Yes, I'll accept."

At that Jeanne smiled one more time before closing her eyes with a serene look on her face. In a voice that sounded like it was out of the mortal world the woman began to chant: "Let Kami-sama's sigh become a wind, let all of creation's hearts flow, that wind is both gentle and fierce at times but it will surely never leave you. Look to the ocean look to the sky...the forests too...the mountains too...with us. Whether this hope is for healing or helping. Let the time of undoing progress! Become a "Kamikaze"!"

When Jeanne was finished, Jeanne felt a new kind of strength pour right into her soul. She took a deep breath, surrendering herself to the surreal feeling of being filled with raw power. And right then, as she gave herself up to the ancient power pouring into her, she felt it once more. She felt her Jeanne form at the edge of the new strength she had obtained. She reached out and grasped it.

"Reincarnated to seal evil born from darkness", Maron started, the familiar words pouring from her lips with ease. "Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne! Sent by Kami-sama, I have appeared!"

_**To be continued...**_


	12. Leaving The Past Behind

**Midnight Clashes**

**Chapter 12**

**Leaving The Past Behind**

Maron quickly made her way to the cathedral, entering the church with ease. She whirled around, trying to locate the demon-infested painting as soon as possible. Her eyes locked on a large painting that covered one of the walls almost completely. She felt something lurking inside the colors, something evil.

"Okay", Maron spoke to herself. "Now to seal this bad boy." She looked at the pendant that Chiaki had given her; now as large as the rosary she had worn before. The necklace Chiaki had given her; it had become her new rosary. But how did she seal a demon with this thing? Maron studied the rosary curiously. From her previous one, a pin had come out when she had needed it. Marin gave the rosary a shake, but nothing came out.

Suddenly the church doors burst open when a river of angry citizens poured inside the cathedral. There were no guards, probably thanks to Red, but there were still enough angry faces, along with shouts of: "Burn the witch!" that Maron was starting to panic. She turned the rosary around in her hands, hoping for some kind of a button, or anything at all that could make the pin come out.

But nothing came out and soon Maron found herself caught and bound, unable to do nothing but sit still and wait until the possessed people decided what to do with her. They probably thought that Jeanne had somehow escaped from the fire they were planning to kill her with and were thinking of a more certain way to get rid of 'the witch'.

'I can't believe this...' Maron thought as a small group was sent to get guards to 'handle the witch'. 'I have the power to seal demons again but no idea how to use them...This is hopeless. I'll never be able to go home again, or see any of the people important to me. I never got to make that call to my parents...And I wanted to tell Miyako that I'm really Jeanne. She would probably be angry at me for lying...And Chiaki...I wanted to tell him so much...that I...love him...'

For the second time that way Maron felt a surge of power run through her body. The ropes holding her prisoner did not seem to exist anymore as Maron noticed her rosary glow a bright, holy light. She grasped the rosary and was holding a sword in her hands a moment later.

"I see..." the girl mumbled to herself. "So this is how the new rosary works..." Ignoring the people around her that were running around in fear Maron glared at the large painting decorating the wall. She leaped into the air and saw a shadow-like form rush out to attack her.

"May the darkness which is born evil be sealed here!" Maron called, while she readied her sword, bringing it down and right through the shape of the demon. "Checkmate!" Even though the sword did not seem to leave any damage behind the demon let out an incredibly high-pitched shriek and shrunk in size, into a small white knight.

Maron landed on her feet, crouching down to pick up the new chess piece. A bright smile spread on her face as she cheered: "Recovery complete!"

Not any later than right after Maron's hand had closed around the knight the doors of the cathedral were thrown open by a powerful gust of wind. The wind was headed straight for Maron and before the girl could react she was caught in the whirling storm. She creamed from terror when the wind rose to the heavens, like the cathedral did not have a roof after all.

Suddenly a pair of arms was wrapped around Maron, bringing the girl's head around to look at her saviour.

"Noin?" Maron questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"I see you sealed the demon, then?" Noin asked with a wide smile. Maron ignored the greeting as she pointed an accusing finger at the demon.

"You aren't supposed to be here!"

"I'm sorry that I didn't go along with the plan, Maron, but I wanted to see you again", Noin said as he hugged Maron closer to himself, causing the girl to blush. "I remembered that the demon that possessed me had long, dark hair and a cape...in other words, I possessed myself."

"But why?" Maron exclaimed, struggling against Noin's grip but she was unable to break the demon's hold on herself and gave up soon afterwards. Noin smiled at her, even brighter than before, before answering: "I told you, I wanted to see you again. Not the reincarnation of Jeanne D'Arc, but you, Kusakabe Maron."

Maron was about to comment, but before she could a third voice joined in the conversation: "So...I take it that I'm the **only** one who actually did his part of the plan right?"

Maron turned her head around to look at Red, who seemed to be handling the whirlwind around them with ease, only his braid and the hem of his coat flipping around. The girl gave a sheepish smile as she defended: "Look on the bright side, Red. At least now we didn't change history."

"I suppose", the red-haired thief conceded with a nod. That was the last thing Maron saw before her world disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

&&&&&&&

When Maron opened his eyes again, she found herself in a completely white room. She immediately guessed that she was in a hospital. Apparently she had really fallen then.

As soon as Maron had come to this conclusion, the door to the room was thrown open and Chiaki rushed inside. The boy froze for a moment to stare at Maron.

"Maron, you are awake", the boy spoke in a throaty whisper. Maron nodded her head slowly and then gave the boy a smile.

"Hello, Chiaki", she greeted gently and found herself wrapped in a secure embrace immediately afterwards. "Chiaki..?" Maron questioned and noticed the boy's shoulder's shake. "Are you crying?"

Chiaki pulled back a bit to meet Maron's gaze. There were no tears visible in the boy's eyes but the look in those brown orbs told Maron all she needed to know. Slowly and gently she wrapped her arms around Chiaki's back and leaned her head on the boy's shoulder.

That was when Chiaki's father walked into the room. Startled and feeling extremely embarrassed Maron tried to pull away from the hug but Chiaki's grip would not relent. The girl then looked past the boy's shoulder at the man, who was smiling at them with amusement evident on his face.

"Chiaki, I need to run a few more tests on Maron-chan now that she is conscious", Chiaki's father spoke in a nonchalant manner. "Could you let go for a while?" Chiaki's only response was a firm shake of his head as he clutched Maron even tighter. Maron smiled apologetically at the man standing behind the boy and settled her head back on Chiaki's shoulder. This seemed like it was going to be taking a while.

&&&&&&&

"What was that all about?" Red asked from Noin as the two stood hidden by the trees' shadows. "What was the point of that trip? Why were we sent there?"

Noin shrugged his shoulders before replying: "Perhaps Kami-sama wanted to give Maron another chance. Now she has it." The demon gave the boy an unnerving look. "Awfully curious, aren't you? It's going to get you in trouble one day."

"In bigger trouble than I already am in?" Red questioned with a lifted eyebrow. "I believe that when I see it." And with that the thief turned his back to the demon and leaped on the closest tree branch. He continued from branch to branch, trying to find a concealed spot to land. That was when he saw it. Or rather, he saw her.

"Toudaiji..." Red trailed off as he watched the girl walk down the street, away from the hospital. Then he noticed the da-tenshi strike out at the girl.

"Fin Fish!" Red exclaimed as he leaped down from the tree, right in front of the fallen angel who was holding a now-unconscious girl in her hands. "What do you think you're doing?"

The angel smirked viciously at the thief before snarling: "Maron is going to lose another dear person to her! Lets see how she stops Maou-sama then!"

"I won't stand by and watch this happen!" Red stated firmly, readying himself to face the angel.

Fin only laughed at the display in front of her before smirking again and speaking: "Oh, please. You can't do a thing to me, puny human." The look on the angel's face turned into a predatory snarl. "My quarrel is with Maron and her boyfriend. I don't have any real reason to unleash my powers for you. It would be smarter of you to just back down." Fin lifted her free hand and slowly waved a finger in front of Red's face. "This girl is Maron's worry. I will not harm her, but merely use her to get Maron to come to me. You needn't concern yourself with this."

"Fine", Red conceded. It was true that he might not stand a chance against the evil angel but that did not mean that he was happy about it. Red glared at the female as he spoke: "But if you break your word, I will find away to make you pay for it."

"Go right ahead", Fin said without any touch of worry. "It's not like you would ever succeed but go ahead." Suddenly the da-tenshi lifted up a handful of white chess pieces. "I'll make a deal with you", she said. "These are all captured demons. I know you want them but I also could use a favour from you. You tell Maron that I have her precious Miyako and these…" The da-tenshi brought her hand closer. "…are yours."

It took a long moment for Red to make up his mind. He was planning on rushing to Jeanne to warn her anyway but accepting something from an enemy was questionable at best. But, when Red really thought about it, his own goal meant a lot more to him than anything else at that moment.

"Alright then", Red said with a nod. "I'm sure I can accomplish such an easy task."

"Great", Fin said with a malevolent laugh. She then dropped the chess pieces into Red's outstretched hand and spread her wings. She winked at the phantom thief before her. "See you then." And with that Fin took flight, leaving Red to look after him, his insides turning from the feeling of self-humiliation. He felt like he had just sold out his soul and even though he hated himself for it, it might just be worth it if this was finally enough to accomplish his goal.

_**To be continued...**_

Ending Notes: Okay, this was the last chapter with KKJ character POVs. From now on it's going to be only Kaito, with the occasional Toichi, Hakuba and maybe Red. All in all, this story is finally at the point I've been wanting it at for a while now. This can even be seen from the change in the chapter titles.


End file.
